Additional Relevant Details
Under the agreement, Genentech will sponsor and conduct several Phase 1b trials in multiple solid cancer indications. In addition, BioLineRx will sponsor and conduct a Phase 1b study in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients. The studies are planned as open-label, multicenter, single-arm trials designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the combination of BL-8040 and Atezolizumab. Upon completion of the studies, both parties will have the option to expand the collaboration to include a pivotal registration study. Additional details of the collaboration were not disclosed.
BL-8040, BioLineRx’s lead oncology platform, is a CXCR4 antagonist that has been shown in several clinical trials to be a robust mobilizer of immune cells and to be effective at inducing direct tumor cell death. Additional findings in the field of immuno-oncology suggest that CXCR4 antagonists may be effective in inducing the migration of anti-tumor T cells into the tumor micro-environment. Atezolizumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody designed to bind with a protein called PD-L1. Atezolizumab is designed to bind to PD-L1 expressed on tumor cells and tumor-infiltrating immune cells, blocking its interactions with both PD-1 and B7-1 (CD80) receptors. By inhibiting PD-L1, Atezolizumab may enable the activation of T cells, whose migration into the tumor may be enhanced by BL-8040.